Insect-trap.



No. 642,42l. Patented Ian; 30, I900. a. n. BOYD.

INSECT TRAP. p lication filed Ma 25 UNTTED STATES PATENT FFICE GEORGE H.BOYD, OF PARIS, TEXAS.

IN S ECT-T RAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,421, dated January30, 1900.

Application filed May 25,1899- Serial No. 718,178. (No model.)

T0 00% whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. BOYD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Paris, in the county of Lamar and State of Texas, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Insect-Traps, of which thefollowing in a specification.

This invention relates to insect-traps, and has for its object toprovide a simple, inexpensive, and effective trap for catching insects,especially roaches, which will operate to cause the insects to drop intoa vessel entirely separate from and unattached to the trap proper,whereby said vessel can be readily and conveniently removed from thetrap to any convenient point and the trapped insects destroyed.

To these ends my invention consists in the features and in theconstruction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims following thedescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, wherein- Figure l is a vertical centralsectional view of my improved trap. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.Fig. 3 is a vertical central sectional view of a modified form of trap,and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates afrusto-conical sheetrnetal casing provided at its upper end with adownwardly and inwardly turned flange 2. The flange, as shown, isconcave or cupshaped and is formed integrally with the casing 1.Arranged centrally within the cup-shaped flange 2 is a saucer-shapeddisk 4, constituting a bait-holder. As shown, the bait-holder isdisposed above the lower end of the flange 2 and is held in position byarms 5, projecting from the edge of the disk 4 and attached at theirends to the flange 2, thus leaving an annular space between said flangeand the periphery of the disk. Disposed centrally beneath the casing lis a cylindrical vessel or receptacle 6, preferably having verticalsides or walls, and in practice said vessel is made of such height thatwhen placed beneath the casing or trap its upper edge will fit snuglybetween the angle formed by the upper end of the inclined sides of thecasing and the flange 2, thereby preventing the escape of any of thetrapped insects that might succeed in climbing the upright wall of thereceptacle 6. Such arrangement also causes the cas ing to be accuratelycentered over the receptacle 6, thus rendering it unnecessary toexercise any care in setting the trap in position;

the floor or other desired spot, and the casing is then placedthereover, the upper edge of the receptacle guiding the casingaccurately into position, so that it will rest centrally over thereceptacle. A small quantity of any suitable bait is then placed in thebait-holder. The insects attracted by the bait will climb up theroughened inclined sides of the trap until they reach the top, but inattempting to descend the polished curved surface of the flange 2 willslip down thereover and under the bait-holder and be precipitated intothe receptacle 6, from which they are unable to escape, as beforedescribed. To empty the receptacle, it is merely necessary to lift thetrap from off the same, when the receptacle can be removed to anydesired point and the insects emptied and destroyed and the receptaclecleaned. It will be seen that the receptacle is entirely separate anddistinct from and unattached to the trap, permitting the ready andconvenient removal of the receptacle for emptying and cleaning. This Ihave found to be a most convenient and ad* vantageous arrangement andforms an important feature of my invention.

In Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings I have shown a slightly-modifiedconstruction of the trap, but involving precisely the same features ofinvention. Referring to said figures, the numeral 7 indicates the trapor casing, comprising approximately triangular upright sides or walls 8and inclined ends 9. The upper ends of the inclined walls 9 are bentdownward and inward to-form concave or curved flanges 10, that projecttoward the center of the trap, and disposed over the lower edges of saidflanges is a dished bait-holder 11, preferably segment-shaped incross-section, as shown. The bait-holder is so arranged that a spacewill intervene between its sides and the flanges 10, and it is supportedin position by attaching its edges to the sides 8 of the trap. Theinclined walls 9 of the trap are roughened in the manner beforedescribed. A receptacle 12 is placed bev neath the trap and preferablyconsists of a rectangularvessel, the sides 13 of which are curved, as at14, to permit them to conform to the shape of the flanges 10, wherebythe upper edges of the end walls 15 are adapted to snugly fit into theangles between the upper ends of the walls 9 and flanges 10 for thepurpose before explained. The operation of this modified form of trap isprecisely the same as that before described. A suitable bait is placedin the bait-holder and the trap placed over the receptacle, the upperedges of the latter guiding the trap accurately into place over thereceptacle. The insects climb up over the roughened inclined walls ofthe trap and in attempting to crawl down to the bait slip down thepolished surfaces of the downwardly-curved flanges 10 and areprecipitated into the receptacle beneath. The receptacle may be removedand cleaned by merelylifting off the trap in the manner beforedescribed. It will be manifest that one of the inclined walls 9 may beomitted, or rather made vertical, in the same manner as the sides 8.

My invention is especially designed for catching roaches; butit will bereadily understood that it is equally well adapted for catching manydifferent varieties of insects and animal life.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. An insect-trap,comprising a bottomless casing having an inclined side provided at itsupper end with an integral, downwardly and inwardly curved flange, and afixed baitholder supported above the lower edge of said flange, theouter edge of said bait-holder overlapping the lower edge of the flange,the parts being arranged to provide a space between the flange andbait-holder, substantially as described. l

2. An insect-trap, comprisingabottomless casing having an inclined sideprovided at its upper end with a downwardly and inwardly curved flange,a bait-holder supported above the lower end of the flange, and anindependent receptacle disposed beneath the casing and unattachedthereto, substantially as described.

3. An insect-trap, comprising a frusto-conical sheet-metal casingprovided at its upper end with an inwardly and downwardly curved flange,and a saucer-shaped bait-holder supported by said flange above the lowerend thereof, and arranged to provide an annular space between thebait-holder and flange, substantially as described.

4. An insect-trap, comprising a frusto-conical sheet-metal casingprovided at its upper end with an inwardly and downwardly curved flange,a saucer-shaped bait-holder supported above the lower end of saidflange, and an independent receptacle disposed centrally beneath thecasing and unattached thereto, substantially as described.

5. An insect-trap, comprisingafrusto-conical sheet-metal casing providedat its upper end with an inwardly-turned and downwardlycurved annularflange, a bait-holder consisting of a disk disposed centrally withinsaid annular flange intermediate the upper and lower ends of the latterand provided with radially-projecting arms attached at their outer endsto the said flange, and an independent receptacle movably disposedbeneath the casing and fitting closely at its upper edge into the angleformed by the sides of the casing and annular flange, substantially asdescribed.

6. An insect-trap, comprisinga bottomless casing having inclined sidescurved downwardly and inwardly at the upper end, a baitholder arrangedin the top of the casing, and an independent receptacle disposed beneaththe casing and fitting closely at its upper edge, the angle formed bythe inclined sides and the down wardly-tn rned upper ends thereof,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEORGE II. BOYD.

Witnesses:

O. G. CONNOR, J NO. '1. DIOKSCN.

